Graceling

We were initially skeptical when the big bosses at Patricorp assigned us Graceling to review. Fantasy novels? Generally not our thing. Sure, we've read some of Tolkien's work, enjoyed it even, but we have a hard time with fantasy if the plot gets too convoluted. So that trepidation set the tone for our reading of Graceling. Maybe you feel the same way. We hope that you'll eventually agree that it's a good fantasy novel for the fantasy shy.

The book revolves around Katsa, the niece of a feudal king. Katsa is relatively normal, except that she has heterochromia. What's that, you ask? Heterochromia is the condition of having differently colored eyes. In Graceling, this means that one is "graced" or especially skilled at something very specific. Katsa's grace happens to be killing people. She's not so normal then, right? For some time, Katsa has been sent by her uncle, King Randa, to kill those he does not approve of. Katsa begins to realize that she can either live life as the King's thug, or she can use her power for good. The rest of the story follows her attempt to do just this, and her relationship with a friendly Prince.

We said earlier that Graceling is almost fantasy-lite. What we liked about it is that everything in the story is basically normal. We say normal to mean that it is a completely possible story that may have occurred at some point during human history. The only time one has to suspend disbelief is when considering graces. There's no magic or spells, etc.

As a protagonist, Katsa is awesome. She is (generally) a strong female character who knows how to get what she wants. She bucks convention by refusing to be married or be saved. We really liked that in Katsa. Her supporting cast is pretty fun as well. The book certainly stresses the role of the "evil king". Seems like there's one everywhere.

We believe that anyone interested in fantasy or interested in being interested in fantasy should read Graceling. If you don't like it, we'll give you a free widget.